Sitting inside a court room I think that you can almost feel the unforgivness that lurks about. The heartache and heartbreak that have happened in these rooms often over shadow all the good that goes on in them as well. This week I found myself in a faith- testing situation. I was in a place were I was surrounded by conflict, pursued by insecurities, encouraged to be angry and supposedly entitled to hate. But you see, one thing I have learned in my Single Mama search for Jesus is that God is in control! Jesus is near you in the times where you are tempted to regress...to go back to your old ways. He promises you will never be tempted beyond relief if you just reach your hand out and trust Him. Through the help of the Holy Spirit you have the power to choose your thoughts! You can choose joy in sorrow. Happiness in pain. Smile through confusion and do something good for someone even on your worst day. Love the unlovable You can choose forgiveness. This week I found myself at a crossroads where I could choose to give in to the temptation of negativity, sadness, & unforgivness. Instead I chose to remember what God has taught me. I prayed over it and asked other prayer warriors to pray with me. I asked God that in this situation he give me confidence in Him & that I would have the heart to see others the way He does. Forgiveness is a command from God but is also a precious gift that you give to yourself. It shines bright both inside & out when you finally choose to let go of all the wrongs that you feel were against you and trust fully in your Heavenly Fathers love. Forgiveness is a process that takes daily commitment. Daily I need to be reminded how short I fall so that I can choose not to judge others. Daily I need to ask for forgiveness so that I can remember what it feels like to be the one that's sorry. Daily I need to spend time with God so that when these temptations come up I have the strength in him to choose my thoughts and actions wisely. Daily I need to grant forgiveness quickly just as I want it grated quickly to me. Dear Lord, If there is any thing in my heart that I am holding back from you I pray that you will help me to see it.Please allow your Holy Spirit to cleanse me of all the hurt and anger I have been holding onto. Teach me to trust in the knowledge that you are my protector & defender. Help me to see others the way that you see them. Amen
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School starting can be an emotionally trying time for all parents. As a mom I feel joy seeing my children grow and learn as they should be. But there is that immense felling of sadness as our summer days come to an end and they go off, leaving me behind. As a Single Mama there can also be the sorrow in feeling like there is no one to share these small accomplishments, such as the start of another school year, with. The past few days I've been even more aware of how lucky my sweet kidos and I are to be surrounded by family & friends. We've been blessed by people who helped me make sure the kids have what they need to start a new year. Blessed by those who were anxiously waiting to see the traditional 1st day of school pictures. Blessed by the ones who walked down memory lane with me this morning, remembering how small they once were. Blessed by those going out of their way to wish them well as they start a new year. And very blessed by knowing friends are there for me in the quiet that followed after they were gone. Dear Lord, The start of school is always a bittersweet time for me, but you know that. I pray that this year my children will see and show Jesus daily. Let them have a heart like you Lord no matter what they face. Give them wisdom and grace for each moment. Surround them with people who will guide them towards you please Lord. I'm so thankful this morning that I'm not going through it alone :) Thank you for being with me and my sweet kidos today, and everyday. Thank you Heaven Father for choosing to bless us with friends & family to walk along side us in this life until You return. Pour your blessings out upon them please Jesus. Amen We've all experienced it at one time or another. The door that closes...the chapter that's finished...the plans that changed. It occurred to me last night as I was closing the door to our old house, heading home to our beautiful new house, that this could possibly be the last time I close that particular door. Now we are more happy in our new home then we were in old home. We have a peaceful feeling there, and an air of excitement over all the new adventures to come. Its perfect for our family of 3! We love every inch of it :) But still, the finality of it all began to sink in. Closing that door had a lot of significance. It felt like in that moment I was closing off part of my past that is long gone. My memories of days gone by seem to be reduced to boxes and bags, with piles of things we need and things to donate. In this situation I am faced with thoughts of what to keep and what to let go of. Things to Keep & move with me: The good moments The happy times The warm fuzzy memories The laughter The holidays The sweet noises The smiles The family dinners The things we've learned The way we've loved The joy...this is what I choose to keep from our old home. Things to Let Go The hurt The shame The guilt The scornfulness The anger The bad The mistrust The hate The yelling The ugly...this is what I choose to let go of. If you are holding on to the ugly that has happened in your life I encourage you to let it go. Nothing can hold you back! If you are in a situation like us where a door is closing behind, take all the joy from the past with you to carry into the future :) Choose Joy! Romans 8:38 & 39
Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord. This verse is pretty clear…there is no force, no power nothing of this world that can ever separate us from the love God has for us. We are his chosen daughters and the love He has for us is eternal! But there are things however that will get in the way of our relationship with God. I’m sure we could all give examples of things that have come in between a relationship you have or have had. Maybe you can clearly remember a time when something has come between you or caused a falling out with an ex boyfriend, a husband, your parents, or a friend, a child (face it for those who have toddlers or teens this is a daily battle lol ) Think of that time for a minute and how it felt to have something in the way of that relationship that you so desperately wanted to have. How did it feel to have something, some person, some situation pulling away or building a wall in that relationship? For me these times cause me to feel a lot of hurt, pain and confusion. So I’ve been asking myself this question. What does God feel when I let things come between me and my relationship with Him? We all have shall we say “mistresses” that can lead us away from the kind of relationship God wants to have with us. These “mistresses” can be time, money, greed, envy, anger, work, homes, sports, children and EVEN….church work! I’m sure you could all add a few more to this growing list. My focus has been called into question this week. The people or areas in my life that I am most focused on are the things that are going to grow or bear the fruits of my labor. So I have been asking myself… Does God hurt like I did when things came between me and my loved one? Does He feel that the ultimate sacrifice He made is unappreciated when I put other things ahead of spending time with Him? In His word He lovingly commands me so many times to not worry, love him, seek his will, love others, trust Him, and so on. Does he feel betrayed each time I choose not to obey Him? This week I challenge you to get a hold and Ditch the Mistresses’ that are interfering with your time and relationship with God! Budget is always a big deal in our home. How do you meet your families needs ( and occasional wants or treats) on a tight single Mama budget? Here are just a few bits of wisdom that I have received from other Single Mamas, along with what we do in our home, to stretch our budget. ~ Needs vs. Wants. On our refrigerator we have a dry erase board where we keep a list of things to pick up next time I go to the store. This list is split into 2 parts. The top part is " Things We Need" & the bottom part is " Things We Want". Let the kids help with this! You may be surprised what each person considers a need verses a want. One day I wrote paper towels on the "need list". I came back later and one of my sweet kidos had moved it to the " things we want list" explaining that we could use the dish towels and save the money. Go kids! ~ Set rules for treats. I know...I know... RULES! But seriously its better then crying over split milk ( or in my case something you buy that you cant return). This goes for both when you are treating the kids and when you are treating yourself. Personally I find it easier to stay on track when the kids are with me, its those few days that they are gone where loneliness can take over and the mindset of " I deserve it" sets in. Make a list of treats for the kids and treats for yourself along with what each splurge will cost. ~Know the cost. As Single Mama's we are the sole provider. Its up to us to manage our money wisely. Maybe you get child support, maybe you don't. Maybe you work one job, maybe you work several to make ends meet. Either way its important to that you know what things cost! You cant budget if you don't dive into what your spending and see where your money is going or needs to go. You need to know what each monthly bill will cost along with what few other things you might need such as cleaning supplies & toiletries. ~Use your friends. As Single Mamas it can be to easy to get off track financially, after all there is usually no one to hold us accountable. Find someone! I have 2-3 friends that I regularly send my monthly budget to. These are amazing ladies who I trust & do not have to be ashamed to show them how much or how little I make. They are great trusted friends who will : #1- Check my math. Been there and made that addition/subtraction mistake one to many times before. Thankful for the friends who will take 5 minutes and double check my figures! #2- Get a sneak peek at my expenses. A fresh set of eyes might see savings where maybe you don't! #3- Keep me accountable. They know what you make, and what you spend so they can encourage you to stay on budget or help you decide on a big ticket purchase. I'm posting a copy of the PDF I use to help keep my family on budget. I'm very artsy and have a hard time concentrating on plain white paper with no color so I looked online and found a free download of a "Pretty Budget" that suits my visual, organizational and financial needs. Enjoy!
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AuthorI'm a single mama of 2 great kidos seeking and searching for Gods will in our lives :) Archives
December 2017
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